Apparatus for supporting rolls of thermoplastic wrappring material and providing a wrapping platform for supporting articles to be wrapped, a heat sealing platform and a heated severing rod.
In the prior art it is old to provide a pair of spaced parallel rollers for supporting a roll of sheet material wherein the web is is at least partially reversely bent over one of the supporting rollers, for example see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,452,511 and 4,141,516 to Hoffles and Olson respectively. However the apparatus for controlling the length of web material dispensed is relatively complex and is not of a construction that is relatively inexpensive and easily installed on previously purchased machines for converting such machines from the type that a shaft or roller is extended through the core of the roll to one wherein the roll of wrapping material is supported by a pair of spaced rollers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,499 to Feldman discloses a packing machine having a wrapping platform, a heat sealing platform, a heated severing wire and a pair of spaced parallel rollers for supporting a roll of thermoplastic film. However there is no mechanism for impeding or stopping the unwinding movement of the roll after the pulling force exerted on the transverse terminal end part of the web has been discontinued to prevent excessive unwinding of the web from the roll.
Further it is old to removably mount the opposite end portions of a shaft on a frame wherein the shaft is extended through the roll. However to replace a roll on the shaft requires disassembling the shaft from it mounting mechanism and thus more time consuming than desirable.
In order to overcome problems such as the above, as well as others, this invention has been made.